


Speak Now

by w00t4ewan



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Run, Wedding, episode 07x24
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 13:47:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3292613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/w00t4ewan/pseuds/w00t4ewan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Jennifer Jareau had always known her wedding would be one of the most memorable nights of her life. However, she could have never guessed it would have ended like this.</i>
</p><p> </p><p>Rossi and Hotch take bets on which drunken member of their team will make the biggest fool of themselves at JJ and Will's wedding. However, they are surprised when the least likely person stands to object in the middle of the ceremony.</p><p>[Inspiried by the Wedding Toasts from the S7 Special Features DVD]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Speak Now

"Perhaps an open bar was not the best idea," Rossi mentioned to Hotch as they watched their team fumbling around the backyard like a group of toddlers just learning to walk. 

"It's okay David, let them blow off some steam after the last few days. It's been a hell of a case and besides, what's a wedding without a little champagne?" Hotch asked raising his glass for a toast. 

Rossi mimicked the gesture and the glassware made a small clink. They stood by the bar watching the team with a certain sense of parental happiness. Morgan was currently trying to wrangle Penelope, who was haphazardly chasing Kevin and his date around. Emily was filming what appeared to be a rather drunken toast with the videographer, who had been hired last minute to document the joyous occasion. Yes, their group of misfits were at their prime this evening. 

"So, are you in?" Rossi whispered to Hotch.. Hotch pulled out $20 from his wallet and nodded. They were making a bet on whether it would be Reid or Prentiss who made the bigger fool of themselves by the event's ending. Rossi had placed money on Spencer divulging his long-unrequited love for JJ. However Hotch didn't have to be a profiler to see Emily was obviously torn over the impending nuptials, he had made a mental note of how she had always been so awkward around Will. Hotch felt like he had the one-up on his cohorts, seeing as he had just spoken to Emily who seemed rather flustered as if she was debating a big decision. He figured, alcohol in hand this would be the night she finally let her guard down. It would be a smooth $20 when he won. 

"Are you filming?" Emily asked as she straightened her dress and took a long drink of her champagne, the vidographer nodded and she saw the red light come on. 

"For JJ and Will, I am so happy to be a part of this. Oh! Sorry, detective LaMontagne and Special Supervisory Agent JJ," she giggled at her own joke. "I'm so glad you're finally tying the knot. I think it will make Henry so happy his parents getting married. I just am so happy! Cheers! Glad I could be here at the Rossi mansion for your wedding. I love you both very much heres to the future."

Truth be told, Emily did love them very much or at least one of them. She had been hiding her true emotions for so long now, they had become suffocating. However, she wasn't the only one who had been a bit morose at the idea of JJ and Will getting married. The videographer thanked her for her toast and found Reid rummaging through the gift table comparing size and weights to the gift he had brought, deciding whether or not to switch tags. After helping the young genius stable himself against the table the camera went live and Spencer began his toast to the happy couple.

"I would like to say that I am very happy, that you're getting married. Some might say, oh i think maybe they aren't happy. Maybe because Spencer has something for Jennifer," he paused and frowned at the sound of her name. Quickly recovering with, "That's not true! When all is said and done, statistical facts say 51% of marriages end in divorce or murder.... So I will always be here for you Will."

Reid laughed a little too long at his implications and the camera man smiled politely, wondering how the rest of the evening would turn out among this incestuous group of friends. He moved on to Derek to get the handsome agent's words of wisdom for the newly weds. 

"Well here we are on this wonderful occasion," Derek had begun. "JJ and Will. Now, JJ you're beautiful. Just absolutely stunning. And you went for the short guy from Louisiana? With the cool accent. _Oh Hey I'm will, and I talk like this_ ," Morgan slurred in a terrible southern accent. "I get it, he's cool. He's cool, but what I am? Chopped liver?"

The videographer noted just about every toast had mentioned how beautiful Jennifer was, especially Reid and Morgan. Both of whom had directly alluded to having feelings for the blushing bride. Then there was Penelope who obviously still had feelings for Kevin, continuously reitterating that fact through out her video toast. She even interrupted Kevin's speech to argue that JJ and Will were her friends. Then Rossi who kept implying his backyard was, in fact, a bad omen for the couple. Stating that he had been through three marriages and he wished the backyard to bring better luck to the couple. It would be an interesting night, to say the least. 

The guests were ushered towards the beautiful staged area that had been lit with twinkling white lights and lanterns. A lavender runner lead up to a white arch adorned with beautiful flowers, where Will stood nervously awaiting his soon to be wife. Henry wiggled under the weight of his father's hands calmly placed on the young boy's shoulders as a reminder for him to behave. The music started and all heads turned towards the house as JJ appeared, escorted by her mother.

Mouths gaped open as the team took in the sight of JJ in a white off the shoulder gown, her radiant blonde hair casually swept up in a loose bun with rouge pieces perfectly framing her face which was simply glowing with excitement. She made her way towards the alter, pausing momentarily to smile at Emily who was absolutely stunned at JJ's beauty. 

The guests sat down as JJ took her place beside Will, leaning down to kiss her little ring bearer. Henry wrapped his arms around JJ's leg as she reached up taking Will's nervous hands in hers. The officiant began the ceremony as the couple gazed lovingly into each other's eyes. 

Emily sipped at her champagne grumpily, watching Will beaming as the ceremony continued. She glanced down the row of her peers and reminisced the time they had spent together. She was going to miss this team or rather this family. She had always felt like they were her home, until she had been forced the stage her death. Upon returning to the BAU, her relationships had never fully recovered. There was always a crack in the foundation, nagging at her stability. When Clyde had offered her the position in London, she had accepted it graciously. It would be the fresh start she so desperately needed. Especially after being subjected to watch the love of her life marry the wrong person. She wasn't the only one who seemed less than pleased with the festivities. 

Reid sat a few chairs down, gazing at his feet rather than paying attention to the wedding taking place. He kicked at the ground like a nervous child. Conflicting feelings raged inside of him as he weighed his options. He could take the high road and accept that JJ and Will made each other happy and would have a lovely life together, or he could throw caution to the wind and finally admit his true intentions. He suddenly realized how much alcohol was coursing through his system because he would have never even thought of the latter if he had been sober. 

The officiant continued, "Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in Holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Will and JJ laughed at the notion and looked towards their friends and family with genuine smiles, surely there would be no reason for any of them to speak. It was really an outdated line but the officiant knew it always got a good laugh from the congregation. 

Abruptly, Reid and Emily shot up from their seats. They shot bewildered glances at each other as the crowd gasped in shock. There was well over ten seconds of strange, worried looks between the officiant and the couple at the alter and the two drunken colleagues standing in the audience. Rossi and Hotch exchanged their own glances, eyes wide, having been half hoping that neither of bets would pay off. Never even considering they _both_ would!

"I...uhhhh," Emily was very aware that heavy glares were upon her as she opened her mouth to speak. She still had her eyes fixed on Reid, who had decided to let her explain first. "I object!"

Another collective gasp from the crowd as JJ and Will looked on in abject horror. The venue was suddenly alive with hurried whispers as people awaited the happy couple's next move. Their focus shifted to Reid as he awkwardly still stood only a few feet from Emily, visibly sweating under the pressure. 

"Well?" The officiant finally pushed, wanting to get this embarrassment over with as quickly as possible to hopefully regain control of the situation. 

"I also, object," Reid stammered shyly. "I object to Emily's outburst! She has obviously had a bit too much to drink, I'm just going to..."

His words trailed off as he stepped over Derek who had been sitting between them, taking Emily by the arm and ushering her away before she could cause any more commotion. He brought her near the bar before finally exploded in anger.

"Emily! What the fuck?" he exclaimed as he waved the bartender over for a couple of drinks. Hearing Reid curse brought Emily back to her senses. What had she done? How could she possibly ruin her best friend's wedding so selfishly?

"Oh shit," she started as she threw back the glass of wine the bartender had reappeared with. "I didn't mean to actually say anything! Oh shit, oh shit...."

She was cut off as Derek appeared out of no where, taking the glass out of Reid's hand and finishing off the rest of the amber liquid. 

"What the hell was that, you two?!" he scolded looking between his inebriated fellow agents. They simply pointed a finger at the other simultaneously. "Well whatever is going on here, the wedding is in utter chaos. Will is ready to take off someone's head and JJ has been ushered inside after breaking down into sobs at the alter. Now one of you better explain!"

"I couldn't do it, Morgan," Emily pleaded as tears welled up at the corner of her brown eyes. "I couldn't let them get married without finally being honest about my feelings."

"Emily, I know you love him," Derek started as he watched a shock look cross Emily's face. "But this was not the proper way to go about all of this!"

Reid and Emily exchanged mischievous glances before bursting out laughing. Morgan went still, not seeing any humor in the serious debacle. Reid and Emily simply laughed, looking at each other in total understanding. 

"You've got this all wrong," Emily finally explained to her befuddled friend. "Your observations have been a little skewed, Agent Morgan."

Again, Derek looked perplexed still missing what seemed to be so obvious between Reid and Emily. Spencer wiped a tear from his eye and hugged Morgan, pulling him in closely to whisper in his ear.

"Derek, she's gay," he admitted. Derek tensed up and glanced at Emily who nodded reassuringly. 

"You mean, you are in love with.... _JJ_?" Morgan slowly pieced together. Again, his fellows looked at him like parents look at a child who is just not understanding a new concept. 

"I need a drink," Derek said slinking onto a nearby barstool. He waved over the bartender and ordered, "Give me two of the strongest thing you've got"

Penelope came angrily barreling towards the bar, "What is happening right now? How can you two be laughing after destroying such a beautiful ceremony? Morgan, how can you be drinking at a time like this?!"

"We were all wrong," Morgan sighed as he stared down into his glass, doubting if anything he had ever known had been true. 

"What? Wrong about what?" Penelope questioned looking at them all for answers. "Someone better start explaining because JJ is in there crying her eyes out, refusing to speak to anyone but Emily. Rossi and Hotch are trying to keep the guests from rioting, no one has seen Will and I just don't know how to pull this back together!"

"I'll go talk to Jayje," Emily muttered, ignoring the disapproving looks form Derek and Reid. 

"We'll help you find Will," Derek suggested, pulling Reid by the arm as they followed Garcia towards the pool area. 

Emily took a deep breath before finally knocking lightly on the bathroom door, "Jennifer, it's me."

There was a momentary pause between ragged sobs on the other side of the door before the small sound of the lock. Emily opened the door slowly, finding JJ repositioning herself on the counter with her face buried in her hands. 

"How could you?" JJ murmured, not looking up at the brunette. "How could you do this... at my wedding?"

The last words came with a distinct bitterness. Admittedly, interrupting a wedding was not how Emily had ever expected to come clean about her feelings for her best friend. It was definitely one of her worse moves. 

"I didn't want to ruin your wedding,' Emily admitted honestly "I just, I was so worried I'd never be able to live with myself if I let you get married without knowing the truth. You know, about how I felt."

JJ scoffed as she finally looked up from her hands, face red and blue eyes swollen from crying, "Fuck you, Emily. You've had years! Fuck! You were the one who told me to go for him in the first place! Remember? In Miami?"

Emily remembered that night all too well. The team had already known JJ and Will had been secretly dating for over a year, when Detective LaMontagne had shown up on a case in Miami. Emily had joked, telling JJ she should go for Will because they would make a cute couple. It was her way to get JJ to finally come clean about her relationship. However, deep down Emily had desperately hoped she and the others had been wrong. She had wanted so badly to tell JJ how she truly felt for so long, but once Will came around it seemed like there was no reason to. 

"I'm sorry, I never meant for anyone to get hurt!" Emily exclaimed.

"Well this is a really shitty way to show me that, isn't it? Why don't you just say it. Say it to my face, Emily. Tell me the truth," JJ admonished, well aware she was being harsh. 

"The truth?" Emily quipped, finally catching the fire behind those blue eyes. "The truth is... I love you, Jennifer."

Suddenly panic replaced anger and JJ froze. Emily ignored her reaction and continued, "I've loved you for the better part of five years. I already knew you and Will were together before Miami. We all did. I saw how much it hurt you to keep it from us, I just wanted to see you happy. I wanted to be the cause of that happiness, but I thought I never would me. So I just, never told you. JJ, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I'm leaving, Jayje. I'm leaving for London on Monday, I took the job."

"What? You're....leaving?" JJ asked solemnly, as if she she had only heard the tail end of Emily's life altering confession. 

Emily nodded, at a loss for further words. JJ let her head fall back into her hands, body shaking from the force of her sobs. She wasn't exactly sure how to proceed. She saw two options, first she could stay and comfort JJ the best she knew how or she could leave JJ alone to marinate on Emily's abrupt confession. Emily turned to go. 

"Don't," JJ whispered, almost inaudibly. "Please, don't go."

Emily moved close to comfort the distraught bride, rubbing her back slowly. JJ's tremors eased as she fought ot catch her breath. "It's okay, JJ. Take as much time as you need. Everyone will understand," Emily cooed, reaching for tissue to dry JJ's face.

"No, I mean don't go," JJ looked up into saddened brown eyes, "Don't go...to London."

"What do you mean?" Emily faltered at the thought. She had to get away form all of this confusion, especially after tonight's embarrassment. 

"I'm asking you to stay, Em. I want you to stay, " JJ admitted. "I want you to stay, _with me_."

She struggled to get the last two words out of her mouth but as soon as she did Emily's heart quickened. "What about Will? What about the wedding?" Emily questioned. 

"He already knows, he's always known," JJ shrugged. "Part of him has always known I'd never be fully his. When Will and I started dating I didn't tell anyone because the moment I did it meant it was real. It meant that I was admitting to myself that _you and I_ would never be anything more than friends. But I help onto that tiny sliver of hope. Then in Miami, you told me to date him. I was crushed. It was the final straw, finally letting me know that you just didn't feel the same about me."

"Please, Emily, " JJ begged, taking Emily's hands in hers. "Please, we've waisted so much time lying to each other. Please, tell me you'll stay so we can at least try. We can try and make this work."

Emily weighed her options. It was all so much to comprehend. All of these years they had felt the same way and had been to stubborn to let the other know. JJ hadn't told Emily about Will in an attempt to hold on to hope that the women would have a chance together and Emily had pushed JJ to Will in an attempt to make her best friend happy. It had been five years of misunderstanding finally laid out on the table. 

"JJ, you have Henry to think about. You have Will downstairs, waiting to marry you," Emily reminded. Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Jayje, can I come in?" Will questioned from the other side. The two women pulled apart and JJ wiped her face frantically. As Emily hopped off the counter, fear in her eyes. 

"Come in," JJ answered.

Will opened the door and Emily saw her way out. He looked at the brunette as she rushed past him, her face slightly flushed. He may have been a small-town boy, but he knew exactly what had happened. Will had suspected when JJ wouldn't be open with her team about their relationship, that she had feelings for one of them. He never knew who, always suspected it was Reid for some reason. But now, it was clear. 

"JJ, I've only ever wanted you to be honest. I love you, but I also want you to be happy," he began. "I will always love you, you brought our beautiful son into this world. But I can't marry you." JJ looked at him sadly, realizing he was willingly letting her go. He took her hand and squeezed it gently, kissing the back of it as like true Southern gentleman. They embraced, she nodded in understanding and kissed him chastely on the cheek. 

They reemerged from the bathroom, running into Penelope, Reid and Derek. The threesome looked at the couple hopefully, assuming they had worked everything out. 

"Wedding's off," Will confirmed. He wrapped his arm around JJ and smiling, much to the confusion of the search party. "Now, go! Go and get her!" He glanced down at JJ who grabbed Penelope and took off down the hallway. 

"You're just going to let her go?" Derek asked. 

"I was never the one she wanted to marry, Morgan." Will conceded.

"What's going on JJ?!" Penelope questioned as JJ pulled her into the backyard.

"We have to find Emily before she leaves!" JJ stated, as if that explained everything. Her eyes searched the crowd, who were suddenly buzzing at the bride's reappearance. 

"Emily! EMILY?" JJ shouted into the bewildered faces. 

Just then, Emily appeared standing on a chair in the tent. She peered over the crowd of onlookers at the blonde in the wedding dress. 

"Emily, I can do this," JJ reassured, ignoring the curious looks from everyone around her. "We can do this!"

Emily jumped off the chair and pushed through the crowd, until she met JJ near the patio. Their lips met and the world melted away. They kissed with a passion that had been burning inside for the better part of a decade. Rossi and Hotch pushed to the front of the crowd and took in the sight. Rossi quietly handed Hotch a $20 bill. Jennifer Jareau had always known her wedding would be one of the most memorable nights of her life. However, she could have never guessed it would have ended like this.


End file.
